


This Golden Day

by starrdust411



Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Always a Different Sex, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety, Established Relationship, F/F, F/M, Female Bruce Banner, Female Clint Barton, Female Steve Rogers, Female Thor (Marvel), Female Vision, Fluff and Humor, Humor, Implied Relationships, Light Angst, Marriage, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Romance, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-15
Updated: 2017-11-25
Packaged: 2019-02-02 20:35:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12733854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starrdust411/pseuds/starrdust411
Summary: “How can anyone know ifanymarriage can work? You can’t, but when you start off with a gamma radiated time bomb you get a pretty good idea of the direction you’re headed in!”





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place in an alternate universe during the time between Age of Ultron and Civil War.

_Bless this day,_  
_Pinnacle of life_  
_Husband joined to wife_  
_The heart leaps up to behold_  
_This golden day._

The dress had probably cost more than the house she had grown up in even though it was just a white dress that would only be worn once before being put in an acid free box and stored away forever. It was a shade of white that the consultant in the boutique had called “seashell” and if she were being truly honest it made the gown look slightly dingy and the fabric wasn’t as light or flowing the way the “forgiving” A-lined shape should have been.

Brooke felt like a mummy, wrapped up from her feet up to her neck in her grandmother’s tablecloth. Her thighs were twitching beneath the spanks that were threatening to roll up on her any second now and her stomach felt pinched painfully beneath the confines of the torsolette she had been stuffed into. She willed herself to breathe as she gazed at her reflection in the full length mirror, seeing an alarming amount of sweat beading along her hairline as her skin continued to look whiter than the string of pearls wrapped around her neck.

 _White is better than green,_ she told herself, but it did little to comfort her.

A short shallow breath passed from her lips as she pressed one trembling hand onto her unnaturally flat stomach as the other rested against her chest. She could feel her heart beat, fast and erratic as somewhere in the distance the clock ticked down the minutes until she would have her veil pinned to her head and bouquet shoved in her hands before she walked down the aisle to marry Tony Stark.

_I can’t do this._

Brooke closed her eyes and attempted to will the sense of dread and unease that had been tormenting her for months away, but much like the pitched ringing in her ears it simply would not go away.

 _I can_ not _do this._

“Brooke. Brooke, honey?”

Betty’s voice was like a distant echo in her ears, the gentle tone barely registering above the sound of her own heart thumping and that persistent ringing noise. Yet when Betty came to stand by her side, grasping Brooke’s twitchy fingers in her steady hands, Brooke found herself forced to acknowledge her friend’s presence.

“Are you okay?” Betty asked carefully as worry swam in her wide, doll like eyes. She already knew the answer to that question, but Brooke knew that Betty wanted her to respond.

“I’m fine,” Brooke gasped as she allowed herself to be lead away from the mirror and over to the couch where just seconds ago Jennifer had been adjusting the straps of her shoes, but suddenly she seemed to have disappeared. “I’m fine,” Brooke said again as she took a seat, mindful not to wrinkle the fabric of the ridiculously expensive dress that she had come to hate.

Brooke regretted not speaking up more during the fitting, but she had been too numb. The whole process had been overwhelming, because Tony had asked Pepper to pull some strings in order to get Brooke an appointment at a boutique that looked more like a museum than a store and the consultant that they had assigned to her had been clearly disappointed to be working with a pudgy, middle aged scientist instead of the rail thin models and socialites she usually shopped for. The consultant had kept apologizing for not having “plus sized” options to accommodate Brooke’s size eight figure and persistently brought in ridiculously maternally looking pieces for her to try on to the point that Brooke had just wanted the whole thing to be over with and found herself blindly picking the dress that was closest to her.

Jennifer reappeared on the couch seemingly out of thin air, her face etched with just as much worry as Betty’s as she forced a bottle of water and a few capsules into Brooke’s hands.

“What are those?” she heard Betty ask, no doubt referring to the pills Brooke was already swallowing.

“St John’s Wort,” Jennifer answered and Brooke felt disappointed that it wasn’t an aspirin. “They’re good for anxiety.”

“I’m fine, really,” Brooke insisted between gulping down mouthfuls of water. She didn’t feel any better, because it probably would have taken a dozen more capsules to calm her, but the last thing Brooke wanted was to tell Betty or Jennifer as much. “It’s just… a little hot in here.”

Betty and Jennifer shared a look, one that said very clearly that there was no way Brooke could be feeling over heated given that it was a particularly cool day in late September, but instead of questioning her further Betty simply got up to open a window while Jennifer grabbed a handful of pamphlets she had gotten from the lobby and began to use them as a makeshift fan.

“Is that better?” Betty asked once she had returned to Brooke’s side and Brooke just nodded as she continued to chug more water. Brooke suddenly wished that she had a hundred bottles so she could fill a kiddie pool and possibly drown herself.

The door to the suite swung open as Pepper popped her head inside. She smiled pleasantly at everyone in the room before stepping briskly inside when she noticed the small gathering on the couch. “Hey,” she said in her softest, most disarming tone of voice as she practically tip toed over to them. “I was just dropping by to see if we should let the photographer take a few pre-wedding pictures of the bride, but… should I tell him to keep shooting the venue?”

The make-up artist and stylist that had been hired to help them get ready had already left the room, leaving only the four of them in the hotel’s bridal suite.

“Definitely no to the photographer,” Betty told her as Jennifer continued to fan Brooke’s very much flushed face. “We just need a few minutes.”

“Is everything okay?” Pepper asked, sparing a quick glance over her shoulder to confirm that she had indeed closed the door behind her. “Should I… should I call Tony?”

“No!” Brooke said sharply, the sudden answer causing Pepper’s eyes to widen ever so slightly.

Brooke sighed and put her bottle aside as she stood in order to give herself a chance to get up and move. She kicked off the heels that had been pinching her feet and walked towards the now open window and took gulps of cool air as it swept across the room. The ringing had somehow gotten louder and her skin was beginning to tingle, but the breeze felt so good that she didn’t want to turn away from the window. “Don’t call Tony,” Brooke said as she rested her shoulder against the wall and placed her hand against her chest. Her heart beat was still erratic even as she willed herself to stay calm. “We don’t need to tell him about this. I’m fine.”

Pepper didn’t look convinced; none of them did, because Brooke was doing a terrible job of convincing herself that everything was anywhere near fine so how could she even hope to fool her friends? “Well, the other Avengers are outside if you want to talk to any of them,” Pepper suggested hopefully. Brooke knew that the H word was dancing on the tip of Pepper’s tongue and Brooke could only pray that _she_ didn’t show up today. “We still have time. It’s just another twelve minutes-”

“Twelve minutes?” Brooke echoed as a strangled laugh bubbled its way into her throat. Her clothes were starting to feel particularly tight and when she looked down at her hands she swore she caught a hint of green beneath her skin. She closed her eyes, shook her head, and stepped away from the window. “Twelve more minutes?” she said again, shaking and pacing as the thought thumped and bumped in her head. “No. No that’s not happening.”

“Brooke, honey,” Betty said, going over to her cautiously, but Brooke stepped away before Betty’s fingers could reach her.

“No, I can’t do it,” Brooke said suddenly as she raised her hands in silent surrender. “I’m sorry, but I can’t do this.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose and out her mouth before turning back to the other three women, each of them wearing different looks of silent concern as they stared expectantly at her. “I want to thank you all for coming here today – especially you Jennifer, I mean, I know Tony paid for your flight, but still – thank you all so much for the gifts and the flowers and Pepper – I mean you pretty much put the whole wedding together! – but thank you all none the less, but I’m just _not_ going to get married today.”

The room practically exploded in a chorus of “no’s” and “what’s” but Brooke shook her head again, feeling oddly at peace yet still very anxious now that she had vocalized he decision. “No, I can’t do this,” Brook insisted as she reached behind her head in order to unhook the pearls from her neck, but instead found her fingers fumbling with the clasp. “I just can’t marry Tony.”

“Brooke, you’re being ridiculous,” Jennifer insisted as she pulled at Brooke’s hands in order to stop their erratic movements. “You can’t _not_ marry Tony!”

“Everyone’s already here!” Betty insisted. “The guests have already shown up, all the food’s delivered…”

“Tell the guests to leave!” she practically shouted. “Donate the food to a soup kitchen! Just… I don’t know.” She groaned and tugged her hand away from Jennifer and instead began to pace back and forth in front of the window, her heard buzzing and her heart thumping with every step she took. “I mean, sleeping with Tony? That’s easy, because it just _happens_ and it’s fun and it’s simple, there’s no thought to it. Dating Tony? That’s harder, because I just want to stay inside, but Tony? Oh no! Not Tony! It’s always ‘let’s go to this place I know in Prague’ or ‘let me take you shopping in Milan’ or ‘let’s test out my experimental jet and fly to Tibet!’”

“Brooke,” Pepper cut in, using her calm business voice even as Brooke continued to burn a whole into the carpet, “believe me, I know that Tony can be a bit…”

“Over eager?” Betty offered.

“Relentless?” Jennifer supplied.

“ _Passionate_ ,” Pepper finished with a pointed sigh, “but that’s just because he loves you and he gets wrapped up in things when he cares about something or someone.”

“I know that,” Brooke told her. “I know, because that’s one of his better qualities, but he’s also obsessed with projects and solving problems and what if that’s what I am? I’m a project, I’m _his_ project! I’m a mess and he wants to _fix_ me, but you don’t _fix_ a mess by marrying it! My father was a _huge_ mess and look how _that_ marriage ended up.”

“Brooke, your parents’ marriage was a _disaster_ ,” Jennifer reminded her, “but you and Tony aren’t like that.”

“How can you know that?” she shot back. “How can anyone know if _any_ marriage can work you? You can’t, but when you start off with a gamma radiated time bomb you get a pretty good idea of the direction you’re headed in!”

“Okay Brooke,” Betty cut in. “You’re not well. Let’s just sit down…”

“You’re right,” Brooke groaned. “I’m not well and I’m _not_ getting married today.”

A piercing surge of pain ran through her head and straight into her teeth as the ringing in her ears grew to a sharp, shrill wail that felt like it was cutting into her brain. Brooke groaned, the sound horribly guttural even in her throbbing ears, as she clutched her head and doubled over. Already she could feel her muscles begin to bulge as the string of pearls began to strangle her throat before popping off and scattering around the room.

*  
“Don’t you look cute?”

Stephanie frowned at Natasha’s comment and the far too pleased look on her face from achieving the desired reaction. Stephanie definitely didn’t feel cute, she felt foolish and warm and tense as she stood out in the hotel courtyard watching the other guests mill about. It was a small crowd, because despite Tony’s grandiose, lavish nature he (or more accurately Pepper) was clearly being mindful of the bride’s private nature and had decided to invite only close friends and what little family that could be gathered.

Despite the beautiful surroundings, the whole affair felt remarkably tense, with everyone huddled close together and whispering as they periodically looked over their shoulders towards the hotel where the majority of the wedding party was still holed up in preparation for the nuptials. There were only a few minutes left before the ceremony was scheduled to start and it was clear that nearly each and every one of the guests were anticipating something to go wrong and Stephanie was ashamed to admit that she was feeling the same way. She didn’t want to feel this way; because Brooke deserved to have the flawless wedding that any woman would hope for and despite all of their squabbles Stephanie still considered Tony a friend yet something hanging in the air just told her things were sure to go awry.

“Natasha,” Stephanie began as her voice unintentionally slipped into the tone that the other Avengers often referred to as her “Lady Liberty voice.” She was about to go on, but the feel of familiar calloused fingers brushing against the fabric of her dress gave her pause.

“She sure does,” Sam teased affectionately, his large hand resting comfortably against the small of Stephanie’s back as he smiled tenderly at her. “My baby’s filling out that dress in all the right ways.”

A blush spread from the tips of her ears all the way down her neck as Stephanie ducked her head. She had picked out the burgundy sheath dress to match the tie and pocket square accenting Sam’s sleek charcoal gray suit. Stephanie always had a tendency towards blue, but clearly the change was working well in her favor. She found herself sighing wistfully in the way she often did whenever Sam complimented her (or did something sweet or was just… Sam) and was embarrassed to have been caught doing so in front of Natasha.

“Oh my God, you two are sickeningly sweet,” Natasha said flatly as the corner of her lip curved into a smug little smirk. “How is _Tony Stark_ actually getting married before you two?”

“It’s not a competition,” Stephanie answered automatically, because that was a question she and Sam had been asked several times over the past few months. She was reluctant to go into detail about her marriage related anxieties with anyone, even Natasha, although in time Stephanie knew that it was a conversation the two of them were sure to have. “Sam and I will get there when we’re ready.”

“Although, you have to admit that beating you to the alter was probably a small factor for Stark,” Sam said as he glanced around at the walls of hedges and rose covered fencing surrounding them. The ceremony space was as secluded as they could possibly manage and SHIELD was even monitoring the airspace to make sure they didn’t have to worry about any helicopters or drones flying over them in order to sneak a picture of the vows. “I’d say… probably a good twelve percent.”

“I’d say double that, depending on the day,” Barton joked as she approached the group carrying a champagne flute in each hand. Laura was beside her, sipping happily from her own glass. She smiled as Barton offered the spare drink to Sam, her “bird bro,” before playfully clinking the glasses together.

“Are you really drinking before the ceremony?” Stephanie asked, shades of Lady Liberty slipping into her tone.

“Hey, they’re serving the drinks,” Barton answered, holding her hands in the air in mock defense before taking another taste of her champagne.

“Besides, we’re celebrating a very rare child free day out,” Laura put in merrily. “Although, I am still breast feeding, so I’ll have to pump at least once before heading home.”

“You should do it twice just to be safe,” Clove said and found herself rewarded with a withering stare from her wife for her helpful advice. “Just a suggestion.”

Stephanie found her frown deepening, tempted to admonish Clove and Sam for dulling their senses so early in the day, but fought against the urge. It was bad enough that those dark thoughts kept hanging in her head, putting them to words would be far worse.

Her gaze drifted over to Natasha who was also frowning at Clove in open displeasure, no doubt noticing the way Barton had been pointedly avoiding her. After growing tired of waiting to be acknowledged, Natasha wrapped her friend pointedly on the arm. “Excuse me,” Natasha said sharply when Clove gave her a questioning look. “Don’t just stand there: pay up!”

A sheepish look settled on Clove’s face at having been caught, but she quickly pushed the embarrassment aside as she grumbled and dug around in her small clutch.

“Tell me you weren’t making bets on the wedding,” Sam asked, his voice a potent mixture of weary and disappointed.

“Relax, it’s completely innocent,” Natasha assured him, her eyes never straying from Clove who gave up on searching through her purse and decided instead to reach down the front of her dress. Her fingers disappeared beneath the deep mauve fabric running across her neck before re-emerging with a folded slip of paper.

“Poker night bet,” Laura explained in a voice that clearly said she had witnessed many ridiculous wages over the years.

“I bet her my peanut butter blondie recipe,” Barton said in dismay as she reluctantly handed the recipe card over to Natasha who was practically radiating smugness. “Clearly my hand wasn’t as hot as I had thought.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m sure Grammy Barton will forgive you,” Natasha said as she tucked the paper into her own purse before walking off to likely get her own drink.

“Are these Midgardian ceremonies always so dull?” Thor asked as she wandered over to their small gathering looking very much like the elegant space warrior princess in her flowing red gown with its sparkling silver embellishments. She wore a look of utter boredom as her hammer dangled against the side of her hip as if it were just an overgrown accessory. “This being one of Stark’s affairs I thought for certain the festivities would be a bit more…. Lively!”

Stephanie watched as Thor’s blue eyes drifted towards the string quartet that was currently serenading the guests with calming music. A look somewhere between dismay and frustration crossed her features as Thor gave her head a slight shake and Stephanie had to wonder just what sort of customs Asgardian weddings involved.

Yet all the same Stephanie could understand her friend’s restlessness as it felt as though they had been standing there waiting for the ceremony for hours. The afternoon sun was hanging directly overhead, its warmth canceling out the cool air that showed the touches of early fall which had resulted in Stephanie and most of the guests shedding their coats and jackets as they waited. Eventually they would take their seats, the Avengers filling out Brooke’s side of the aisle because other than her two bridesmaids Banner didn’t have much in the way of friends or family, but until then they were left to mill about the garden making small talk while sipping champagne and eating hors d’oeuvres.

Stephanie sighed and wrapped her arms around herself. Talking to her friends certainly was helping to ease the anxious feeling inside of her, but not enough for her to properly relax. Sam must have caught the gesture as his hand began to slide from the small of her back over to her hip, drawing Stephanie closer to his side. The cool autumn air mixed with the overwhelming sun may have made things a bit too uncomfortable for a jacket, but it wasn’t too warm for her to resist the urge to mold her body against Sam’s inviting side.

“Well, the ceremony hasn’t even started yet,” she heard Laura explain to Thor, “and after that we get to have the cocktail hour where they’ll be more drinks-”

“Stronger drinks,” Clove supplied helpfully and Thor’s eyes did widen in silent glee at the suggestion.

“And more food,” Laura went on. “ _And then_ there’s the reception which is the actual party part of the wedding where we’ll get to dance and celebrate and… eat more.”

“And I swear if Stark doesn’t hook us up with an amazing wedding favor, then I don’t even know what’s what anymore.”

Stephanie sighed and looked down at her wrist only to be reminded that she had decided not to wear a watch that day. “Does anyone know how much time there is til the ceremony starts?”

“T-minus twelve,” Natasha informed her, returning to the group with a champagne flute in one hand and a fist full of various toothpicks skewering either meatballs or bacon wrapped shrimp.

“Has anyone heard from the bride or groom?”

“I checked on Brooke this morning, but she was getting her hair and makeup done,” Natasha shrugged.

“Vision just went to get Stark a few minutes ago,” Wanda informed, looking a bit uncomfortable and almost acutely aware that her invitation to the wedding was more a show of good faith than a sincere gesture. “They should be out soon.”

Stephanie nodded as the quartet transitioned into a new song. A few of the guests had begun to move towards the aisles, the ushers helping to guide them to their seats. Sam gave her side a reassuring rub, a silent gesture of comfort that she appreciated and rewarded with a quick peck on the cheek.

Laura hooked her left arm around Clove’s offered right and the two began to make their way towards the aisle, the rest of the Avengers following close behind.

They had barely made their way over to the rows flowers marking the aisle when suddenly a sharp crash reached their ears. Stephanie froze in her tracks as Sam stiffened beside her. She turned back towards the hotel and saw that a small section of the wall was now missing; a plume of dirt and debris obscuring some of the damage, but from the low growl that cut through the air Stephanie could guess exactly what had happened.

*

Tony pressed a hand down to the center of his chest, half expecting his palm to be greeted by the firm resistance of the arc reactor’s metal surface only to find soft flesh resting beneath the fabric of his suit and tie. There were times he woke up thinking there was still a chunk of machinery lodged between his ribs or bits of shrapnel floating beneath his skin, but then the fog of sleep would fade and he remembered that he was only flesh and bone again. Today he felt so certain that the reactor was still inside of him, because that could be the only reason why his chest would feel this tight and heavy.

He took a breath, in and out, disliking the tight strain that followed the gesture and felt himself begin to sweat. The tie was too tight he decided, his hands flying up to undo the Windsor knot around his throat, or maybe it was the suit? Perhaps a vest was too much and he should have just gone for only a jacket instead.

No. It wasn’t the suit or tie. It was the room. There wasn’t enough air and he decided to remedy that by forgoing his attempt to loosen his tie and instead open a window. He walked hurriedly towards the far end of the room, his leg colliding with the arm of a chair and nearly sending him tumbling over, before reaching the window. With a few quick tugs and then stopping to remember the latch was still in place before tugging again, he eventually managed to get it open, the autumn air flowing into the room and making him shiver.

Just as the sweat had begun to subside from his brow, the suite’s main door swung open. Tony turned and saw Rhodey carefully enter the room while holding a tumbler of scotch in each hand.

“Oh thank God,” Tony breathed as he crossed the room briskly. “I thought you were going to bring champagne.” A sour look settled on Rhodey’s face as Tony pried the glasses from his hands. Tony allowed himself a small grin as he clinked the rims together before downing them quickly, ignoring the burn as they slid down his throat.

“I’m already regretting this,” Rhodey grumbled as Tony set down his now empty glasses. “What kind of best man lets the groom get wasted on his wedding day?”

Tony huffed a short laugh as he felt the tension ease from his chest bit by bit as the scotch began to settle in his stomach. “Relax. You and I both know it’ll take a lot more than that to knock me off my game.” Tony attempted to offer Rhodey a smile in order to prove his point, but instead found himself over come with an odd jittery sensation. He frowned, pressing one hand to his eyes and using the other to grip the edge of the writing desk for balance.

Rhodey’s hands gripped his shoulders, concern clear in his touch, but Tony did his best to wave him off as his discomfort subsided. “C’mon Tones, you need to sit down,” Rhodey insisted, guiding him towards a nearby chair. Tony wanted to protest and tell Rhodey not to fuss, but decided against it as he slumped back into the seat’s stiff arms. “When was the last time you ate something?”

Tony stiffened, suddenly realizing that his last meal had been at least a full day ago. “I think we both know you won’t like the answer to that,” he told him instead.

The silence that greeted him was heavy with disappointment and Tony didn’t have to look to know Rhodey was wearing that all too familiar drained expression. “Jesus Tony,” he sighed before stepping over to the mini bar. Pepper had made sure to remove all the alcohol from the room, but there were still other drinks and snacks, and Tony wasn’t surprised when Rhodey shoved a bottle of water in his hands and placed a bag of roasted peanuts in his lap. “I guess I can’t really blame you for freaking out, all things considered.”

“I’m not freaking out,” he grumbled, tearing into the back of nuts and spilling a few onto the floor when he attempted to pour them into his palm. “Why should I be? Everything’s going off without a hitch.”

Rhodey frowned, his eyes drifting towards the window and no doubt looking for the dozens of reports and their fleets of news vans that had been forced behind the SHIELD constructed barricade. The press had caught wind of the wedding just as Tony had anticipated they would. His PR team had offered just enough information to make the press satisfied, but Tony still cringed at the memory of all the click bait pop up articles and tabloid caliber news puff pieces all announcing the “Iron Man-Hulk” wedding as the “event of the century.” He’d done his best to make sure none of that had crossed Brooke’s path, but there was only so much he could keep from an able bodied adult.

“I guess you’re right,” Rhodey allowed after a minute of quite thought. “Guests are all here, caterers are here, the food and decorations all seem fine… All that’s left is to get married.”

“And that,” Tony said between his mouthful of partially chewed peanuts, “is the hard/easy part.”

There wasn’t a doubt in Tony’s mind when it came to marrying Brooke, because it just made sense. Everything about Brooke felt right and made sense from their long enthusiastic debates riddled with scientific jargon only they understood to waking up tangled together in bed after pulling several consecutive all-nighters working side by side in the lab. The thought of marrying someone and spending the rest of his life with them didn’t seem so bad as long as that person was Brooke Banner.

Yet the closer they came to the wedding the more uncertain Tony felt because Brook was pulling away from him and drawing further into herself. There was something about the ceremony that was upsetting her, but whenever Tony asked Brooke would either insist that everything was fine or completely changed the subject.

The sound of a pointed huff of breath caught his ears and redirected his attention back towards Rhodey who was moving back to the mini bar in order to grab a snack for himself. He pulled out a jar of olives and another water bottle before heading back towards the desk. “Look man,” he began in his somber “we need to talk” voice as he leaned his hip against the side of the desk and twisted the lid of the jar open. “I know you probably don’t want my two cents on this…”

“Your two cents are always welcomed,” Tony interrupted as he adjusted himself so that he was sitting in a better angle to study Rhodey’s face. “Whether or not it’s taken into consideration…”

“The point is,” Rhodey went on, the corners of his lips turning up into a smile despite himself, “I know that you never really asked about my opinion about this whole thing with you and Brooke, but since we’re minutes away for the two of you tying the knot I just wanted to say something.”

Tony bristled, his body going tense even as he urged himself to remain calm and listen. Despite whatever Rhodey may believe, Tony did value his opinion because Rhodey was his oldest and most trusted friend and it would be stupid of him not to take the word of such a level headed guy to heart. Yet if Rhodey said something against Brooke then they might have yet another no holds bar knock down fight, suits and all.

“I’m really proud of you,” Rhodey said at last. “This thing between the two of you… I have to admit I was pretty surprised at first, but it works and Brooke’s really sweet and she’s good for you. I’m just… I’m really glad that you’re doing this.”

It wasn’t exactly what Tony had anticipated, but the words made his chest feel that much lighter. Try as he might, Tony couldn’t help but feel the grin spreading across his face reach dangerously levels of dopiness even as he focused his gaze on the bag of empty peanuts resting in his lap. He huffed a small laugh and raised his water bottle to Rhodey who responded by tapping his own drink against the plastic surface in an odd toast.

The easy air of the room was suddenly disrupted when Tony’s eyes caught sight of something protruding through the far wall facing the hallway. He straightened in his chair, his eyes widening enough to catch Rhodey’s notice. His friend twisted in his perch towards the wall just in time for Vision to completely emerge.

“Jesus Christ!” Rhodey breathed, the shock of such an odd sight no doubt causing adrenaline to churn through him even as he pressed a steadying hand towards his own chest. “Vision we told you not to do that.”

Vision regarded them both quietly for a moment, her smooth purple face turning a touch embarrassed even as she struggled to understand her own error.

She was wearing a conservative emerald green dress instead of her usual suit (or perhaps over said suit since that was a part of her body as well) and Tony could tell that too was making her uneasy as she brushed the tips of her fingers with the pad of her thumb. Sometimes Tony looked at Vision and forgot that she was only a few months old given her adult like body, but each time he was struck with the thought that she may be the closest thing to a child of his own that he would ever have.

“Go easy on her, honey bear,” Tony teased as he put aside his water and the remains of his snack in order to stand. “She’s still learning.”

“The ceremony is set to begin in twelve minutes,” Vision informed him in her stiff Celtic voice. “I was sent to retrieve you.”

Tony felt his head buzz as the jittery feeling returned, shooting up from his legs and into his fingertips. He reached for his tie and struggled to decide between loosening and tightening the knot. “Showtime already?” he breathed hesitantly. “I think I need another drink.”

Vision’s brows furrowed into a slight frown, not seeing the humor in the comment.

“Don’t get him one,” Rhodey told her as he stepped over to Tony and brushed his hands aside and adjusted the tie himself.

“I hadn’t intended to,” Vision told him as Rhodey pushed the knot up to his Adam’s apple.

“Jesus! Don’t strangle me,” Tony snapped as he slapped Rhodey’s hands away. He always made his knots too tight. Tony cleared his throat and loosened his collar before stepping towards Vision. “Lead the way kiddo.”

Vision blinked owlishly for a moment before turning slowly towards the door. She took the knob in her hand as if second guessing the gesture even as she opened the door and walked out into the hall.

Tony turned towards Rhodey and smiled. “See? Learning.”

Rhodey said nothing, only rolled his eyes before following Tony and Vision out into the hall. They had barely stepped on the carpeted floor when the building began to tremble beneath their feet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was heavily inspired by the song "Not Getting Married" from the musical Company. I've been batting the idea around in my head for a long time, but after watching Ragnorok (for the second time) I decided to just go for it. Also my head canon is that FRIDAY was used to create Vision instead of JARVIS who still exists in this universe, which is why female!Vision speaks with a Celtic accent instead.
> 
> Also, sorry, no She Hulk.


	2. Chapter 2

_Bless this bride,_   
_Totally insane_   
_Slipping down the drain_   
_And bless this day in our hearts_   
_As it starts_   
_To rain._

The lights flickered overhead as Tony felt his shoulder crash into the wall thanks to the aftershocks of whatever had exploded inside the hotel. From the corner of his eyes he saw Vision’s body shimmer as her dress disappeared and was replaced instead with her usual yellow cape and green body suit.

“What…?” Rhodey began, the word barely pushed off his tongue before it was drowned out by a bellowing growl that caused the walls to quake in response to the vibrations.

“Something’s happened,” Vision said and before Tony could tell her to stay she was flying down the hall and disappearing through the wall.

“Shit!” Tony breathed as he took off after her, knowing already that Rhodey was not far behind him.

“You didn’t happen to bring a spare suit, did you?” Rhodey asked as they ran into the lobby where the resort’s staff was scattering in panic away from or towards the source of the noise.

“On my _wedding day_?” Tony snapped as they made their way out towards the courtyard, taking the concrete steps two at a time. “Are you kidding me?”

Happy intercepted them before they could reach the patio’s landing. “Boss! I’ve got the suit!” he cried, swinging the red and gold armored suitcase in his hands.

“Hang on to it,” Tony shouted as he continued to run past the less heroically inclined guests who were currently sprinting towards the hotel in hopes of escaping the growing chaos in the garden.

“Tony!” Pepper cried out as she ran over to him, her heels clutched in her hands in order to prevent her from sinking into the grass. Her face was awash with panic and her eyes were wider than he had ever seen them. “It’s Brooke! She’s-”

Before Pepper could finish her sentence another growl cut through the air as a flash of green and purple went soaring past them. Vision hit the ground with a deep thud, her body creating a sizable dent in the once perfectly mowed lawn.

“Yeah, we figured,” Rhodey mumbled as Tony went over to Vision’s side.

She (unsurprisingly) didn’t look hurt, but she was already beginning to hover into the air in anticipation of returning towards the fight.

“No!” Tony scolded, leaping into the air in order to grasp her wrist and drag her back towards the ground. Vision looked down at him, confusion clear on her face as he gave her arm a pointed tug. “Don’t,” he said firmly. “Let me take care of this. You keep the area clear, got it?”

“Tony?” Rhodey began, but Tony pinned him with the same hard look he had given Vision.

“Don’t engage!” he said. “I’ve got this. Also, we need to buy this hotel a.s.a.p.”

“On it,” Pepper nodded as Happy lead her away.

Satisfied that his friends had understood the snippets of his plan, Tony continued to run as best as he could in his dress shoes towards the center of the garden. A few chairs went whizzing through the air as another _boom_ shook the earth and Tony found himself tumbling towards the grass. A pair of strong hands hoisted him back on his feet and when he looked up he saw Stephanie gazing down at him, her face pinched in its usual serious frown.

“Well, she smashed the gazebo,” she informed him as she helped him regain his footing. It was clear from the set of her jaw and her straight backed stance that she had slipped into full Captain America mode. “Sam and Natasha are helping to lead everyone inside.”

“Good, focus on that,” he said as he began to walk once more, Stephanie’s hand still holding his bicep as if she thought he would fall over at any second. “Tell the others to fall back. I’m going to reason with her.”

“As long as you think you can do it,” Stephanie said doubtfully, although Tony could tell there was relief in her eyes at the prospect of avoiding an outright fight as she released him in order to follow his instructions.

A table came soaring towards him only to be batted aside by what appeared to be a bolt of lightning. Thor appeared next to him then, a look of glee lighting her face as she clutched her hammer in her fist. “At last! A bit of action,” she all but gushed.

“Sorry Stark,” Clove said as she came up behind him, quiver strapped to her back and bow drawn with an arrow ready to fly. “I don’t think you’re getting your deposit back on the venue.”

Tony rolled his eyes at the comment. “Thanks Katniss,” he grumbled. “Is the area cleared?”

“Yep,” she nodded.

“Then fall back. I can handle it from here.”

“Stark?” Thor began, practically pouting in disappointment as Wanda walked briskly over to him.

“Should I…?” she began, her finger tips glowing as she twitched them in the air as if to finish her sentence.

“You definitely should _not_!” Clove answered, grasping Wanda’s wrist in her hand and giving it a pointed tug. “Let’s just let the bride and groom sort this one out.”

The three women left and Tony knew that he was now the last Avenger remaining, the thought causing a mixture of relief and fear to churn through him as he continued on past the rows of shredded topiaries and crushed chunks of stone towards the Hulk.

She was wrapped in the tattered remains of the wedding dress, the white material frayed and shredded to threads. The sleeves were gone and the hem that should have gone down past Brooke’s feet was now hanging in strips of cloth around the Hulk’s green thighs. It was only good fortune that the fabric around her broad chest was still intact, but it would likely only take one quick movement in the wrong direction to change that.

Tony watched as Hulk batted the remaining chairs aside in one sweeping motion like someone clearing away a deck of carefully stacked cards, before kicking over the platform where the string quartet had been playing clear into the air and over the fence. She grabbed one of the speakers in her thick green fingers and looked ready to pitch it into the air as well when Tony came up to her.

“Hey!” he cried out, waving his arms in the air in order to get her attention. “Hey stop! It’s me! It’s me!”

Hulk turned to look at him, the tension in her square jaw easing with recognition. Her arm was frozen in mid swing as if she were still considering whether or not to throw the speaker and Tony took that as a good sign.

“Hey there Jolly Green,” he said, his breathing labored even as he forced the affectionate tone into his voice. “Why don’t you leave that sound system alone and let’s have a talk? Okay?”

“Hulk no want talk!” She snarled as she crushed the speaker in her hands, sparks flying as wire and bits of plastic sprinkled out from between her fingers. “Hulk _smash_!”

“Yeah,” he said, surveying the damage wearily. The once pristine and carefully constructed garden venue was no longer romantic and secluded, but a virtual warzone littered with destruction. _Poor Pepper, _he thought distantly before turning his attention back to the center of the destruction. “Yeah I can see that. Hulk smash up wedding pretty good.”__

__“Banner wedding!” Hulk huffed bitterly and it never ceased to amaze Tony how two being could occupy one body and resent each other so intensely the way Hulk and Brooke did._ _

__“Yeah, yup, me and Brooke are getting married,” he said as he took a cautious step forward his hands held high where the Hulk could see them and his fingers spread far apart. “This is kind of a big day for us so…”_ _

__“Tony marry Banner,” she growled as she hurled the remains of the speaker towards the ground like a crumpled tissue. “Tony want marry Banner, not Hulk.”_ _

___Oh Jesus,_ Tony thought wearily as he watched the Hulk huff and turn away from him, the long strands of her dark hair whipping around in the air with the sudden movement. He knew he should be grateful that the Hulk liked him, _loved_ him, because at times it made things easier. Then this sort of thing happened and he found himself feeling…_ _

__“Hey,” he began softly, walking up to the Hulk in an attempt to sooth her. Tony was about to place a hand to her arm, but instead found Hulk pulling away with a sudden jerk that caused a gust of wind to slap him in the face. She pouted and stalked off and Tony had to walk briskly to keep up. “Hey, big girl!” Tony started again as he nimbly stepped in front of her. “Don’t be that way. This isn’t just for me and Brooke. This is _our_ wedding. The three of us!”_ _

__“No!” Hulk huffed again as her hands balled into fists at her side. “Banner wedding! Tony love Banner.”_ _

__“Tony loves Hulk too!” He insisted as he grabbed her fist as best as he could in his hands. He offered her knuckles a few quick pats, feeling very much like he were petting a bolder wrapped with leather, until he felt her fingers begin to relax a touch. “Tony wouldn’t marry Brooke if he didn’t love Hulk. You’re definitely my favorite green gamma monster, hands down.”_ _

__Tony watched with no small amount of hesitance squeezing his chest as Hulk’s posture stayed ridged for a good five seconds before finally dropping into a less challenging manner. Hulk turned to him, big green eyes peeking out from between straggly clumps of dark hair, and actually smiled and Tony allowed himself to relax._ _

__“There’s my girl,” he said offering her the most encouraging smile he could muster given the circumstances._ _

__Hulk must have taken the gesture as quite sincere as she proceeded to grab Tony by his waist and hoist him clean off the ground and into her arms. By Hulk standards the hug wasn’t anything near “crushing,” but Tony still felt the air being knocked out of him as he was wrapped up in big green arms and pressed against a broad chest that was akin to a brick wall and he was never going to get used to this._ _

__“Okay big girl!” Tony managed to wheeze as he, after no small amount of effort, pried his right arm free and gave the side of Hulk’s neck a couple of steady pats. He had been attempting to reach her back, but his arm would only go so far. “We’re okay. We’re good now.”_ _

__The urge to ask for Brooke to come back was tempting, the name practically crawling on his throat, but Tony knew better. Instead he suggested that he and Hulk have a seat and was relieved when he found himself being set gently down on the ground. Hulk sat down with a heavy _thud_ that caused the ground to shake and Tony to once again lose his footing and collide none too softly against a large green bicep. Hulk didn’t seem the least big phased by this as she helped Tony steady himself before hoisting him into her lap and again this wasn’t something he would ever get used to._ _

__“Okay, let’s talk,” Tony said, adjusting himself into a more comfortable position, which was easy to find because Hulk’s lap was surprisingly comfortable. He smiled and pressed a hand to her arm, her skin warm and hard beneath his fingers. “You look really good in white.”_ _

__Hulk huffed and dropped her head down until her chin was resting against her neck and by now Tony did know Hulk well enough to recognize that purplish color spreading across her face was actually a blush. “Hulk hate dress,” she pouted more than growled which meant that Brooke was either resurfacing or the Hulk was growing more docile and either option was a good sign. “Too tight.”_ _

__“I know, Green Machine,” Tony soothed as he rubbed her arm affectionately. “But you still look really cute.” A low rumble sounded from deep within her chest and Tony knew that was the Hulk equivalent of a giggle. “In fact, why don’t we make you look even prettier for your big day?” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. “JARVIS, can you ask one of the girls to whip up a Hulk sized flower crown?”_ _

__“ _Yes sir,_ ” JARVIS responded obediently. “ _And I would be remiss if I did not remind you once again that, Hulk aside, the female Avengers do not take kindly to being referred to as ‘the girls.’_ ”_ _

__Tony rolled his eyes as he swung his right leg over the side of Hulk’s thigh and pressed his back against her stomach, lounging comfortably as the energy all but evaporated from him. “Yes, JARVIS. I remember.”_ _

__It took a couple of minutes, during which Hulk sat and pet Tony like he were some sort of lap dog, but eventually Natasha came to them with a crown made out of flowers that had no doubt been gathered from the center pieces and mangled decorations. He should have known that the highly trained deadly Russian assassin would be the only Avenger who knew anything about daisy chains. Although Tony had a strong feeling that Pepper may be fairly competent in that area, but it was likely that the stress from seeing Brooke transform right before her eyes had rendered her hands fairly useless even now. Natasha stayed long enough to help put the crown on Hulk’s head before Tony insisted that she leave, because he didn’t want to take any chances._ _

__Eventually after an hour or so of sitting and talking, the Hulk eventually began to fade back into Brooke. By then the sun had begun to sink low enough that the air was starting to turn frigid and the shredded remains of her wedding dress no longer offered much coverage. Tony shrugged off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders before hugging Brooke’s trembling body against him._ _

__“So,” Tony began cautiously after the worst of her post-Hulk spasms were over, “are we gonna talk about what caused Jolly Green’s sudden appearance?”_ _

__Brooke’s face had been looking drained, almost white, but color began to return to her cheeks as she ducked her head in a weak attempt to escape Tony’s gaze. “I… I’m sorry, Tony,” she whispered sheepishly. “But… I just… _hate_ everything about today.”_ _

__Tony didn’t bother to fight against the urge to cringe at Brooke’s confession as the pressure that had once been sitting on his chest suddenly returned before morphing itself into an almost burning throb. “Well… I guess I should have figured that.”_ _

__“It’s not you,” Brooke cut in, then seemed to reconsider. “Or maybe it is… I don’t know. I just didn’t want this.”_ _

__Tony felt his phone begin to buzz in his pocket, likely the team trying to reach him to see if everything was under control, but he couldn’t bring himself to bother to reply or even silence it. He blinked his eyes several times and held on to Brooke who still refused to look at him. “You could’ve said something.”_ _

__“I know. I should’ve, I wanted to, but … I didn’t.” She frowned and rubbed her hand against her bare arms. “You were so happy and excited and I thought I could just deal with it, just hang back and watch the ride, but suddenly I was here in a wedding that I didn’t want wearing a dress that I didn’t like-”_ _

__“You didn’t like the dress?”_ _

__“It made me look old!” Brooke sighed and ran a hand over her hair, pushing aside the few flowers that were stubbornly clinging to her now tangled locks. Frustrated tears began to fill her eyes as she pulled out a particularly stubborn stem from the back of her head. “I should’ve said something -- to you, to Pepper (poor Pepper, she worked so hard!) – but every time I started to I kept thinking I was going to disappoint someone so I just stayed quiet.”_ _

__In that moment Tony wished that he was Vision, that he could shift his density and slip away into the Earth and just disappear, because no amount of blinking seemed to be effective anymore and tears began to find their way down his face as well. “We don’t have to do this,” he told her, brushing roughly at his eyes and scraping his cheeks with the edge of his cufflinks in the process. “We can call it all off.”_ _

__“No, I-”_ _

__“Brooke, you don’t want to marry me, that’s fine,” Tony went on, hurdling ahead before Brooke could finish her thought. “You don’t have to marry me and you definitely don’t have to be with me if you don’t want to.”_ _

__“Tony I want to be with you,” Brooke insisted. She let out a breath and shifted her legs until her knees were tucked underneath her chin and she was hugging her legs against her chest. “It’s just… marriage makes me think of my parents and their whole train wreck of a relationship. And marrying you sounds _wonderful_ but what if we wake up one day and hate each other? What if we become _them_? And…” She stopped and turned to him, her wide eyes glassy and red as tears continued to slip quietly down her full cheeks. “You realize marrying me means you’re marrying _the Hulk_ , right? Your wife will literally be a _monster_!”_ _

__Tony wanted so dearly to kiss her, to hold Brooke tight and keep kissing her so she would just stop talking because it still made him sick to believe that this amazing woman thought so lowly of herself. Of course he knew better than to do so, because Brooke hated pity more than praise and drowning out her fears with kisses wasn’t a practical solution to their problem in the slightest._ _

__“First of all,” Tony began as he took a moment to yank out the pocket square from his jacket and wipe at Brooke’s cheek, “while you were away, Hulk and I had a _lovely_ talk and she is fully on board with the whole marriage thing. Second, you my dear will never be a monster to me.”_ _

__“Well you’re the only one who thinks that way. Let’s see: the army, or rather the entire US Government, certainly disagrees. Not to mention, again, my lovely deceased father who thought I was trash _before_ the gamma radiation. Harlem and pretty much most of the island of Manhattan aren’t that keen on me either…”_ _

__“Okay, so you have your critics,” Tony conceded. “And I have mine as well. Your fiancé and hopefully still husband-to-be isn’t exactly a well-adjusted human being either.”_ _

__“Tony.”_ _

__“You want a list of problems? I’m an alcoholic narcissist with an overactive sex drive. I have daddy issues, abandonment issues, a very toxic combination of a superiority _and_ inferiority complex that helps to facilitate my tendency to work myself to the brink of exhaustion while ignoring the concerns of others. Should I go on?”_ _

__“No, we’ll be here all night,” Brooke said dryly, the beginnings of a smile appearing on her face._ _

__“There’s my witty super genius,” he teased, brushing the slightly damp pocket square against the tip of her chin._ _

__Brooke huffed a small laugh as she untangled herself and slumped onto Tony. He smiled and wrapped her eagerly in his arms, pressing a kiss to the top of frizzy hair. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m sorry I pushed all of this on you. I should’ve made more of an effort to make sure you were okay.”_ _

__“You should’ve,” Brooke agreed. “And I should’ve trusted you enough to let you know something was wrong. I’m sorry.”_ _

__He chuckled and held her tighter, pleased when Brooke responded to the gesture in kind. His phone began to buzz again and Brooke must have heard it as she began to pull away._ _

__“I guess we should get back,” she said._ _

__“We don’t have to,” Tony reminded her, lacing their fingers together as he gave her hands a gentle squeeze. “I meant it, you know? When I said you didn’t have to marry me. Say the word and we’ll call the whole thing off.”_ _

__Brooke stared at him, her eyes looking completely lost and confused even as she clung to his hands. “I don’t… I don’t want to do that,” she admitted. “I’m so sorry. It’s confusing but… I don’t want _this_ wedding. I don’t want to be married, but I don’t want to _not_ marry you because I love you and being with you forever sounds good, even though it’s scary, but it’s a good scary.”_ _

__Tony laughed as he stood and guided Brooke back to her feet with him. “That is confusing,” he admitted, “but we’re two super geniuses so we can figure this out. We just need to brain storm.”_ _

__*  
The garden was a total loss. That had been agreed upon right away so the staff of the now Stark owned hotel agreed to allow their party to use the conference room instead for both the ceremony and reception. _ _

__Upon learning that Brooke hated her dress, Pepper insisted that Happy drive them to a nearby David’s Bridal where they picked up a gown that Brooke could actually stand to be in and, since it was on clearance, they were able to walk out of the store with it the same day._ _

__The guests that had been too shaken by the Hulk attack had left, leaving a much smaller and more intimate group to witness the ceremony and Tony knew that was more along the lines of what Brooke really wanted and was content with that._ _

__“This is why we hang out with _my_ friends,” Laura said once the ceremony was done and drinks were once again being served. They were fortunate that the kitchen had gone unscathed during the hotel’s partial destruction which meant that there was more than enough for everyone to eat and drink now that nearly half the guests had run away. “No freak outs when my girlfriends get together.”_ _

__“Well, remember when Katrina had that melt down at Applebee’s?” Clove reminded her gently as she wiped up the last of her mashed potatoes with her finger tip._ _

__Laura seemed to consider this for a second before offering a small shrug. “Well, Katrina’s a hot mess and everyone knows it.”_ _

__“And also, your friends don’t give out swag like this,” Clove went on, referencing the gift bags resting at their feet. “I’m pretty sure we _both_ got new Stark pads which means Christmas shopping: done!”_ _

__Laura rolled her eyes playfully as she stood from her seat. “Okay, fine, I’ll give you that. Plus that shrimp scampi is going to haunt my dreams if I don’t get another helping.”_ _

__“I’ll go with you,” Clove beamed as she followed suit. “I think I’ll get two more steaks and some pad thai to round things out.”_ _

__Sam chuckled as he watched the two women leave. His own plate was completely empty now and his suit now looking less put together with his tie undone and his vet opened. “You said they live on a farm?” he asked no one in particular. “Those two are wild.”_ _

__“You should see their kids,” Natasha joked dryly. Her outfit from earlier in the day was still mostly together and her hair was back to looking sleek and well-shaped thanks to a quick once over with her portable flat iron._ _

__“I’ll pass,” he grinned before turning towards Stephanie. “I’m going to grab another drink. You want anything, baby?”_ _

__Stephanie’s face instantly began to glow red at the pet name. She did her goofy love sick giggle once again before reaching under the table to give Sam’s thigh a quick squeeze. The heels of her shoes had broken earlier during the Hulk attack and she was now wearing a pair of sandals from the hotel gift shop which she hid self-consciously under the table. “No, I’m good. Thank you.”_ _

__Sam gave her cheek a peck and then went over to the bar, leaving Natasha and Stephanie to watch everyone’s empty plates and “swag bags.” Natasha smiled and maneuvered herself into Sam’s empty chair. “You two are so sickening,” she said playfully, her words causing the blush to all but evaporate from Stephanie’s cheeks. “I still can’t believe Stark is married and you’re not.”_ _

__Her sharp eyes caught the way Stephanie’s whole body stiffened even if she quickly recovered herself by focusing on grabbing the pepper shaker for the stuffed bell pepper still left on her plate. “Stranger things have happened.”_ _

__Natasha allowed the smile to die away as she turned her body towards Stephanie, shifting closer until their shoulders were practically touching. “Seriously, what happened?” she asked, low and somber in order to make her seriousness clear. “A year ago you were meeting his family and all signs were pointing towards marriage, but out of nowhere it all stopped.”_ _

__It didn’t take an assassin with years of experience reading body language to know that Stephanie was pointedly not looking at her, that the subject made her deeply uncomfortable, but Natasha had been waiting to have this conversation and she wasn’t backing down now. “We talked about it,” she confessed, her eyes focused on cutting into the green flesh of her pepper with more intensity than necessary as her fingers gripped the utensils with nearly enough force to break the metal in her grasp. “And we decided it wasn’t a good time and we were going to wait.”_ _

__“You said no to him,” she concluded._ _

__For a moment Stephanie said nothing as her hands went still and her brow furrowed, debating how much to say, but after a while she dropped her fork and knife and placed her hands sadly in her lap. “I didn’t give him the chance to ask,” she said, her voice tight and low, just barely above a whisper. Natasha watched as Stephanie blinked her eyes a few times before grabbing a napkin and dabbing gently at her cheeks. “I wanted to say something to you, but… but I couldn’t, because it took me years to say it to myself… I can’t have children.”_ _

__After all the things that Natasha had seen and done and been, she had thought for certain that nothing could surprise her, but hearing those sad heartbroken words from Stephanie’s lips made her feel as if the ground had opened beneath her feet. The urge to stand and hold her friend surged through her body like a lightning bolt, but Natasha resisted, because they didn’t need to make another scene. Instead she reached out beneath the table and grasped Stephanie’s hand._ _

__“I’m sorry,” she told her._ _

__It felt so stranger to say those words, to hear them come from her own lips knowing good and well that the sentiment wasn’t enough. Yet in that moment Natasha finally understood why so many would offer that seemingly empty phrase, because the weight of Stephanie’s confession had put even her was at a loss._ _

__“It’s okay,” Stephanie said automatically even though it clearly wasn’t. “I’m… I’m dealing with it. I’ve been seeing someone. A councilor. Sam suggested it.” Stephanie stopped, suddenly appearing a bit tired, and pressed her hand to her face. A watery smile spread across her lips and Natasha gave her fingers a tight squeeze. “I know it’s stupid and I know Sam loves me, but I just couldn’t bring myself to marry him if I couldn’t be a real wife to him.” Stephanie frowned, closed her eyes and gave her head a small shake as if she had instantly regretted her words. “If I couldn’t _do_ what most natural women do.”_ _

__“It’s not stupid,” Natasha told her, the words coming out a bit too tightly, because she could feel herself begin to shake as a familiar anger welled up inside of her. “You’re not stupid. And… and you’re not alone.”_ _

__Stephanie turned her wide blue eyes towards her, understanding heavy in her teary gaze as she offered Natasha’s own fingers an answering squeeze. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”_ _

__“It’s okay,” Natasha promised her. “I’m just glad you did.”_ _

__*_ _

__“I’m really sorry that I Hulked out in front of you,” Brooke said as she offered Betty’s and Jennifer’s delicate hands a tender squeeze while staring pleadingly between her longtime friend and her beloved cousin._ _

__“It’s okay, Brooke,” Betty answered automatically, her words lapping over Brooke’s apologize as Betty gave her arm a few quick pats._ _

__“It was an occupational hazard,” Jennifer joked. “We both knew that there was a chance that it’d happen when we agreed to be bridesmaids.”_ _

__Betty chuckled and nodded in agreement with the comment, but Brooke didn’t feel any better. “I’m still sorry it happened,” Brooke admitted. “And I’m sorry that I wasn’t honest when you were trying to reach out to me._ _

__“And Pepper… I owe you a million apologizes and a billion thank yous. You put this wedding together all by yourself and I let the Hulk smash it to pieces! And you asked me so many times what I wanted and what I thought, but I just… I just said nothing and I’m sorry.”_ _

__Pepper was already shaking her head before Brooke could even finish speaking, a warm, gentle smile pulling at her lips as she held her hand in the air in a reassuring manner. “It’s fine,” she told her. “Like Jennifer said, I sort of suspected something like this would happen. I hoped it wouldn’t, but it worked out just fine._ _

__“And you give me too much credit. Tony helped out way more than you think he did.”_ _

__“No he didn’t,” Brooke said flatly._ _

__“You’re right he didn’t,” she confirmed with a slight slump of her shoulders. “But it’s fine. Once all this is over I’ve already called dibs on an entire _case_ of merlot and will be taking a week-long vacation.”_ _

__“You can make it longer if you want,” Brooke offered. “You really deserve it.”_ _

__“You’re right, I do,” Pepper laughed, “but I don’t want to push my luck and have the company collapse in on itself while I’m gone.”_ _

__“Excuse me, ladies.” Brooke turned to see Tony standing over her shoulder with Rhodey and Vision just a few steps away. His suit still looked very rumpled and grass stained from his little heart to heart with the Hulk, but from the way he was smiling at her it was clear that his less than pristine appearance didn’t bother him in the slightest. “I believe I’ve earned some one on one time with my wife.”_ _

__Brooke chuckled and went to his side, wrapping her arms wearily around him, because that was the first time Tony had called her his wife and it didn’t feel as scary as she had thought it would._ _

__“Does that mean it’s time for the first dance?” Rhodey asked, holding a half empty glass of scotch halfway to his lips._ _

__“Dear God no,” Brooke gasped, because this day had been hard enough without adding dancing in public in front of _people_ to it._ _

__“Yeah, that’s a pass from me too,” Tony put in. “Although if you still want to take a stab at that best man speech-”_ _

__“ _Nope_ ,” Rhodey said quickly, punctuating his comment by swallowing the rest of his drink in one breath. “I’ll just give you the abridged version: Brooke you’re amazing, please take care of Tony because, for some reason I still don’t understand, he’s my best friend.”_ _

__An exaggerated smile spread across Tony’s face as he slung his other arm cross Rhodey’s shoulders and pulled him in for a sloppy side hug. “Aw, I love you too Platypus,” he all but crooned as he pressed his head to Rhodey’s shoulder._ _

__Brooke caught sight of Vision standing beside the two, watching the way she touched a purple hand to her mouth as if to cover her amusement despite the fact that no sound had escaped her lips. She reached out to her, only to have Vision stiffen slightly in confusion at the gesture. “Vision,” Brooke began carefully. “I wanted to apologize to you, too. I think the Hulk back handed you or something, I don’t really remember.”_ _

__“It’s quite alright,” Vision told her and Brooke had to wonder why everyone seemed so amicable about her gamma induced outburst. “My body is quite resilient after all and received minimal damage.”_ _

__“Wait a minute,” Rhodey cut in as if a thought had suddenly entered his mind. “How did the Hulk hit you? Can’t you turn intangible or something?”_ _

__“Yeah, that is a good question,” Tony said, fascinated by the possibility that either the Hulk had moved too fast for Vision to dodge or that Vision was somehow “malfunctioning.”_ _

__“I believe that was my fault.”_ _

__They turned to see Wanda standing behind them, an uncertain expression on her face as she clutched a glass of what was most likely water in her hands. “I was in the way and the Hulk saw me. He-”_ _

__“ _She_ ,” Tony corrected firmly._ _

__“She,” Wanda amended, “must have remembered me from Johannesburg and charged. Vision pushed me out of the way and in turn was the one who got hit.”_ _

__Brooke glanced at Vision and saw that she too was suddenly wearing a hesitant expression and if she didn’t know any better Brooke would have said that Vision’s synthetic skin was actually blushing. “Well, it seemed the right thing to do,” Vision put in, pressing her fingers together awkwardly. “My body is more durable than Wanda’s after all.”_ _

__Wanda offered her a small grin, her hand pressing against the fabric of Vision’s sleeve and this time Brooke was certain Vision was blushing. “Thank you,” Wanda whispered, low and almost impossible to hear. “It was very kind of you.”_ _

__For a moment Vision said nothing, merely stood there and took in Wanda’s touch and her words, before finally snapping out of whatever trance she had been in. She then excused herself and walked away. Wanda walked away as well, wandering over toward Clove’s table._ _

__“Oh,” Tony said slowly, realization no doubt dawning on him. “No.”_ _

__“That’s so cute!” Pepper practically gushed. “Vision has a crush.”_ _

__“Wanda, too,” Brooke chortled, because that was… unexpected._ _

__“That… no!” Tony sputtered, his eyes darting back and forth between where Vision had wandered off to speak with Thor and Pepper’s encouraging grin. “No! They… that… this is not okay!”_ _

__“Why? Because they’re both girls?” Jennifer asked challengingly as she and Betty pinned Tony with matching looks as if anticipating his next words would be the wrong ones._ _

__Tony rolled his eyes at the implication. “Of course not,” he grumbled. “But it does have everything to do with the fact that Vision is only _four months old_!”_ _

__Rhodey shrugged and swirled his empty glass in the air. “Well, look at it this way: the first robot you made was a megalomaniacal kill-bot and this one is socially awkward and has romantic feelings for the first pretty girl she’s spoken to for more than fifteen seconds. That’s a pretty huge improvement.”_ _

__Tony seemed to consider this for a moment, but Brooke already knew that there were a dozen or so other thoughts bouncing around in his head and while Rhodey’s comment made a good amount of sense it was likely being drowned out by Tony’s more knee-jerk level impulses. After a while Tony seemed to decide that he didn’t want to think anymore and instead rolled his shoulders and tightened his grip on Brooke’s waist. “You know what, I think we’re going to call it a night,” he announced. “The bride and I have had a long day and we’re going to go start our honeymoon.”_ _

__With that Tony proceeded to bend down and sweep Brooke clean off her feet with surprisingly little effort. Brooke blushed because the remaining guests had caught sight of the gesture and were currently clapping and cheering in response to the way Tony was currently staring at her with very obvious bedroom eyes. “Shall we, Mrs. Stark?”_ _

__Brooke grimaced as Tony proceeded to carry her back towards the hotel proper. “Oh. No. I’m not signing off on being ‘Mrs. Stark?’”_ _

__“Seriously?” Tony asked wearily, pausing only briefly to give Happy a quick nod of appreciation when he opened the ballroom door for him. “C’mon.”_ _

__“Nope, sorry, it’s Dr. Brooke Banner,” she told him. From the corner of her eyes she could see an assembly of plain-clothes SHIELD agents intercepting any potential reporters and camera phone happy guests as Tony carried Brooke to the elevator bank. “Non-negotiable.”_ _

__Tony gave an exaggerated huff, rolling his head along with his eyes as Happy pressed the elevator call button for them. “Hulk would’ve taken my last name.”_ _

__“Well then _Hulk_ can be ‘Mrs. Tony Stark,’” she teased. “ _Dr_. Brooke Banner worked very hard to put herself through college and earn _seven_ Ph.Ds. and therefore wants to be the one to keep the credit.”_ _

__Tony chuckled in defeat as the elevator landed with an audible chime. “I love it when you’re difficult,” he crooned before leaning in for a lingering kiss._ _

__“Have a good night, lovebirds,” Happy said cheekily as Tony stumbled his way onto the elevator car._ _

__The doors gave another ding as they slipped closed and Brooke decided in that moment that she was glad she had decided to get married after all._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The conversation between Natasha and Stephanie is a reference to my previous female!Avengers fic, "Missing Pieces," but it's not necessary to read that one.


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